EARLIER this year, Colchester artist Helen Lee received national critical acclaim, now she’s more than happy with a little local praise.

Helen appeared on BBC2’s Show Me the Monet in May, when she had to convince a panel made-up of art critic Charlotte Mullins, historian David Lee and dealer Ray Bolton her painting was good enough for a place in the Royal College of Art exhibition.

Viewers would have seen Helen charm the trio and impress them with her work, entitled the Birthday, which went on to be sold for £3,000 at a blind auction.

Helen found out about the show from a friend she met through the Woolly Thoughts knitting group, held at Wivenhoe Bookshop, where Helen works.

She says: “It was about this time last year. I was having a bit of a bad time when someone from Wooley Thoughts told me about it.

“I think they were just trawling the BBC website for something, came upon it and rather sweetly thought of me. To be honest, I wasn’t really keen, but since she had gone to all that trouble I thought the least I could do was apply.”

With a secret desire to break down some of the snobbery in the art world, when she got the call up for an audition, Helen was determined to make a point, although things didn’t go quite to plan.

“I had to show my best art work which was still for sale,” she explains, “so I chose this painting I did in 1997 of a birthday party.

“Of course I didn’t think I was going to get picked for the show, so when I did, I was all of a dither.

“I ended up going with four of my six children and the painting. We all drank several bottles of wine afterwards.

“I told the producers they had made my day and they replied I had made their week, so everyone was happy in the end.”

This month, Helen is back on home turf exhibiting a selection of her work at the Jardine Restaurant Gallery, in Wivenhoe.

Featuring snapshots from her extensive travels around the world, Helen challenges traditional techniques, her smudged lines and spooky characters bringing to life any scene, adding an aura of mystery, intrigue and melancholy.

Her work is impulsive and emotional at first glance, but betrays a sharp eye for details and an incredible level of sophistication and confidence in the use of different materials, textures and bold colours.

Born in Southport, Helen first studied painting at the Edinburgh College of Art, where she was initially signed up for a tapestry and weaving course.

“I transferred to drawing and painting because there were more interesting people on the course,” she says, “and it seemed to be a lot more philosophical.”

In her last year, Helen entered and won the prestigious John Moores competition, and was invited to the Royal College of Art.

Helen adds: “I was asked to come for lunch, so I did. I remember going into the staff room and seeing all these paintings on the wall by people like David Hockney.”

Helen stayed for a year before she got the opportunity to go to Trinidad where her painting really took off.

Soon she returned to London and then, with her husband, moved to Colchester where she spent her time divided between bringing up her six children, now aged from 28 to 18, working in the Wivenhoe Bookshop and painting.

Helen says: “Everything I have done in my life has been creative, whether it’s bringing up the children, working in the bookshop or painting. That’s what makes me an artist.”

l Helen Lee’s exhibition is at the Jardine Restaurant Gallery, Wivenhoe, until the end of November.

The Woolly Thoughts knitting group runs every Wednesday, from 10am until 11.30am, in the Wivenhoe Bookshop Shed.